HELP! Mother Duck Killed- How long can Eggs Survive W/O Heat?

[chickeepoo]

What cute ducklings and beautiful birds! Ah, you've got me going, planning that arbor/pond/aviary in the back again… My husband really likes them too. Thank you for those pics, Kathy, and all the help and well wishes for Team Duckling babies! And now we have pics:

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First, Kramer with some siblings as they dry out…

[IMG]http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/kgrajales/Team%20Duckling%20Babies%202010/Ducklings1.jpghttp://
And all 6 babies with Kramer to the left… notice they all look alike except for Duck Norris out to the right, with his dark chocolate color and yellow tuxedo and black legs and feet! Anyone know what he might be/color/mix? And the last duckling, down center, is very tiny, but holding his own.

Thanks again~ now the brooding phase! Kathy, I tried to PM you but your box is full… you can catch me by PM, email, or message me for number! ~ Kathy

**edited too many times b/c I'm too tired to tell left from right

 

[ancona91]

OMG.......How Totally Precious!!!!!
Awesome pics, Kathy!!!! Thanks for sharing them!!!! All look healthy and happy.......ready to take on this wonderful life.....and too darn cute for words!!! Really nice coloring on all of them!!! Duck Norris may just be a chocolate Muscovy...time will tell. And the last one, #6, looks no worse for the wear......tough little cookies, aren't they(smile)??!
Step #2: The Brooding!!!! Hurray!!!! Not too difficult. You just need the proper non-medicated food for them and a water font. You should take pics as they mature...it' d be great to keep this forum going!!!
Kathy, I'll email you a bit later....have to run to the store at the moment. Use my email to reach me. Here's another one you can use: [email protected](in case the other one is "full"). My PM Box always seems to fill up rather quickly. Speak to you later!!!!!
Kathy

 

[klutzyruth]

They are all adorable. Congrats on the hatch. I hope that all have long healthy lives.

 

[chickeepoo]

Wednesday morning, and all are still OK, even the tiny one that I thought was not going to make it last night… the older ones have discovered the joy of eat-drink-eat-drink, poop, stick-your-feet-in-the-font, repeat! Our littlest one is drinking and nibbling, but he's much smaller, not as strong yet, and getting bounced around by the rowdy bigger ones a bit. I forgot what prolific poopers duck can be… I'm about through another roll of paper towels, just trying to keep them clean and dry in there! (Plus playing in the water is normal for them)

 

[ancona91]

Kathy,
Good Morning!!! What a great picture of the crew.....adorable!!!! It can be challenging trying to keep them clean and dry.....after all they ARE ducks and water is for playing in(smile). And ,yea....they can be little poop machines. They look healthy and so happy!!! The littlest one just needs some "catch up" time......and a bit extra TLC.....and not getting bounced on by the older , bigger siblings. Hopefully in a few days he'll be gaining strength.
Speak to you later!!!
Kathy

 

[rebecky1305]

They are sooo cute! Glad they are all doing so well. Keep us updated.

 

[chickeepoo]

Thanks Rebecky! I keep meaning to ask you if the cute duckling in your avatar is a Khaki Campbell or other kind?

 

[chickeepoo]

Ducky update: I put the tiny duckling, the last to hatch, in the incubator with the next smallest duckling, paper towels, food & H2O, and a small stuffed animal, to give the baby a rest from the rowdy bigger ones and a chance to "catch up"… this morning, I awoke to this scene: remember Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care? The bathroom scene? Yep- all over the bator. I still can't figure out how they got it all over the lid. And the others in the brooder were pretty messy too, so today was their first pool day- it was "Hotter'n Hades" today, so it worked out. I cleaned up the Step2 pool and filled it, added Rubber Ducky and Ducklings and here's the pics! You'd be proud of Duck Norris, Kathy aka Grandma!- He was the one to "torpedo" underwater while the others paddled around together!

 

[ancona91]

OMG.....Those Pics Are Waaay Too CUTE!!!!
They all look so wonderful, Kathy!!!! What an excellent Mom you are!!! It seems they're enjoying their swim!!! Just be sure they don't get "water-logged".....since they were artificially incubated they don't have the oils their ducky Mom would rub on them to make them waterproof. They're still really young....... catching a chill and drowning are the #1 causes of duckling mortality. Another important thing is to make sure they can exit the pool at will.....even if you must make a ramp of some kind for them. Just don't want you to lose any of the precious darlings!!! It seems time alone with the least rowdy sibling has done #6 wonders!!!!! We really need names for these guys!!!! Suggestions, anyone??! I'm so thrilled with how great all of them look!!! And I'm proud of "Torpedo Norris"(smile)!!!!!! Speak to you later!!!!!Keep up the excellent work!!!!
A Proud Grandma in NY,
Kathy

 

[chickeepoo]

Hi Kathy, Yes, I wondered if I was sending them in early, but they were going stir-crazy, got themselves pretty messy, and it was HOT outside- the water even warmed up pretty quickly in the pool! They've been instinctively preening themselves and working the oil into their down, but the littlest 2 probably need a little more "waterproofing." I sat right with them and pulled them after about 10 minutes, though they seemed to be pretty happy to stay swimming. #6 got a workout (without getting run over) to strengthen his tiny legs, which is part of what I was hoping for. The pool has 2 corner seats where they can hop out if they want to, but they kept on swimming, and I put them in their transfer box afterward so they could warm up and dry themselves most of the way just before I brought them back to their brooder and lamp.

As long as it's when it's very warm outside and they don't get chilled, do you think a daily supervised swim is OK, especially to build up some leg strength in the smallest one? And I promise I won't let them swim without a lifeguard on duty at all times! Talk to you soon ~Kathy